Rejuvenating Coreopsis

One of my favorite plants in the garden this year is my Limerock Ruby
coreopsis. It has lovely red flowers with reddish-orange centers that
bloom in abundence. The only thing is that as the season progressed,
it went from a nice bush form into a straggily, unkempt mess. The
crown is an unsightly tangle of bare, brown stems. The stems lead to
nice, feathery foliage and plenty of flowers, but the crown is
downright ugly. (See a photo at
http://www.inhouzemusic.com/z/coreopsis.html ) How can I rejuvenate
this plant to get it back into an attractive bush again?
Thanks.
-F

Well, first thing is, did you plant it in a well draining spot? If you just
plugged it into the ground, it might now return for you next year.
Apparently the Limrock Ruby coreopsis isn't as perennial as they would have
liked. Nor is the Bright Eyes coreopsis, the opposite large flowered one
(burgandy eyes, soft pink HUGE blossoms) These were bred from the Rubra
coreopsis. The Moonbeam is the hardiest one of them and the best performing
threadleaf coreopsis.
What I read in a helps column was if you wanted better success, to plant the
Limrock Ruby in gravely soil. For fast drainage in full sun, cutting back
the plant halfway into the growing season to double up the producing ends.
Since this is almost August, depending on how much more warm weather you
have, you could whack the plant back to within half of what it is now, shoot
some fertilizer to it, like Osmocote time release or bloom booster and hope
for the best.
madgardener whose own Limerock Ruby never returned despite everything I did,
and if I want it, I'll have to replant it............. zone 7, Sunset zone
36 Eastern Tennessee

--
Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.

I always amend my soil with plenty of compost, peat moss and manure,
so I think it's pretty well draining. Should I add some pea gravel to
the mix as well?
I will say that it may be in spot that's a bit shadier than it may
like. It gets afternoon sun, but is in the shade of a large hackberry
tree most of the morning. Could that play a role to its gangliness?

If I cut it back by half, I'd be removing the only good looking part
of the plant. It's the crown of the plant that looks so crappy. I was
wondering whether I could take stem cuttings, basically cut the
attractive foliage away from the ugly crown and start over with the
cuttings. Can you do that with Coreopsis? Or should I cut it almost
to the ground early next spring, removing as much of the ugly crown as
possible, and hope for new shoots from the root system?
Thanks so much for the input.
-F

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